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Agfa Optima 500 sensor |
 Version française |
Manufactured or assembled in Germany from 1969 to (Circa) 1976.
Index of rarity in France: Frequent (among non-specialized garage sales)
Inventory number: 420
See the complete technical specifications
Chronology of cameras Agfa
Originally, in the 1930s, Agfa used the name Optima to designate a film in a particular format. Each negative measured 7.5 x 10.5 cm, the film allowing for 8 exposures, and only compatible Agfa cameras could use it. It was a failure.
The name was reused from the late 1950s for cameras using the standard 135 film. The cameras in this series are very solidly built and have an integrated light meter. This series lasted for a decade, but by the end of the 1960s, it was time to present some innovations.
The main one was a new shutter release button, the Sensor!
In this series, exposure is always automatic. It was replaced from the second half of the 1970s by more compact cameras still using the same shutter release button.
The Optima 500 Sensor was the first camera of the brand to feature the red button, the distinctive mark of the Sensor, when it was released in 1969.
It has a collimated viewfinder, an automatic exposure meter, and a shutter speed range from 1/30 to 1/500 (hence the name of the camera).
The automatic flash device is activated as soon as a direct contact flash is inserted into the hot shoe. Since flashes have different guide numbers, the correct guide number must be set on the camera by turning the black knurled ring until the correct value appears in the display. The flash synchronization speed is set automatically to 1/30th of a second.
This model does not have a film take-up spool, and the film is simply pushed into an internal container of the camera, following the principle already encountered with Rapid cartridges. To rewind the film, the R lever must be pushed first in the direction of the lens barrel and then upwards. In this position, it remains engaged. The rapid-wind lever is also used for rewinding the film. When the letter A appears in the film counter display, the camera can be opened, and the film cartridge can be removed.
The distance is set using three pictograms, and the lens is a Color Apotar 2.8/42 mm.
This 35mm camera is of very good quality and is also available in black.
In 1970, the Optima 500 Sensor was priced at 655 francs for the chrome version and 697 francs for the black version.
There is also a version with a shutter speed limit of 1/200 (Agfa Optima Sensor 200), and another very similar camera: the Silette LK Sensor.
The black model is particularly elegant.
The Sensor shutter release button consists of a 16 mm diameter orange-colored disc, set within a 0.7 mm high chrome-plated brass collar designed to guide the finger to the center. Below the disc is the button itself, with a very short travel (less than 0.5 mm). A pressure of 300 grams on the plastic disc is sufficient to trigger the shutter. The motion blur caused by the release is thus extremely limited. Agfa will gradually equip all new models with this trigger and make it their number one advertising feature.
The patent corresponding to this shutter release button was filed in Germany in 1968 (published in 1970) under the number DE 1622174, and then in the United States in 1972 (published in 1976) under the number US 3,950,773. The title of this patent is "Operating Means for Photographic Cameras."
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